Garden City: Supergreen Buildings, Urban Skyscapes and the New Planted Space

Aspectacularglobalsurveyofsomeoftheworld’smostinventivebuildings―increasinglyrelevantinthefaceofclimatechange―whichbringarchitectureandhorticultureintoasustainablewholeHowcanoururbanjunglesbetransformedintoskyscraperforeststhathelpourcitiesprovidenewformsofsustenance,fromurbanfarmstobreathingbuildings?Thetopicisincreasinglyinthepubliceye,andtheanswerisalreadycroppinguponourstreets.GardenCitycapturesthegrowingglobalmovementamongcontemporaryarchitectsforbiodesigningbuildingsthatarelessstructureandfaçade,morelivingentities,capableofbeingecologicallyautonomous,horticulturallyproductive,andbothpleasingtotheeyeandrelevanttoourday-to-daylifestyles.Morethan100(mostlycompleted)projectsarepresentedhere,alife-affirmingrangeofdesignideasthatcanbeappliedtonewbuildingsandthoseneedingrehabilitation.FromofficesthatincorporateurbanfarmsandexchangetheCO2producedbyhumansforfoodandoxygenproducedbyplants,tolightweightsystemsforgrowinggardensonverticalsurfaces;from“treehouses”thesizeofcityblockstocivicbuildingsthatconnecttoexistingwater-managementsystems―therearerichandoftenunexpectedideasforeverydesigner.Thefutureofoururbanarchitectureisbiologicallyalert,naturallyself-sustaining,andalive.GardenCityisthevisualresourcechartingthisfrontierofnewurbanarchitecture.300+colorillustrations